Michigan Congressional delegation voices support for Fort Custer Training Center for missile defense site

A coalition of congressional lawmakers voiced support on Monday for the Fort Custer Training Center in Michigan, one of three locations currently under consideration for a possible continental United States interceptor site.

The legislators voiced their support in a letter to Vice Admiral James D. Syring, director of the Missile Defense Agency, and cosigned by U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Gary Peters (D-MI), along with U.S. Reps. Fred Upton (R-MI), Brenda Lawrence (D-MI), Candice Miller (R-MI), Mike Bishop (R-MI), Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Dan Benishek (R-MI), John Moolenaar (R-MI), Tim Walberg (R-MI), Dan Kildee (D-MI), Dave Trott (R-MI), Sander Levin (D-MI), Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and John Conyers (D-MI).

“Since 1917, Fort Custer has played an integral part in training our Armed Forces for vital national security missions,” the letter said. “It supports over 190,000 training mandays annually, hosts nine tenants, including the Army, Marine, and Naval reserves, and stands ready to take on this new mission. Locating the interceptor at Fort Custer would bring a welcomed $3.2 billion in economic impact, including $700 million in new construction. It would also employ 300 jobs directly and up to 1,800 support jobs. Given all of these considerations, we strongly support Fort Custer Training Center as the preferred continental United States interceptor site and look forward to staying engaged as the selection process continues.”